I got my PA last spring, but this is the first season I've really been able to do some serious bassing with my PA fully rigged. It's awesome! Whether plugging, trolling, or chunking, the PA makes it easy. Already I've had my best season ever. Just remember to be careful with your fins, everyone. I mistakenly left mine down and a fish got wrapped. Not a disaster, but they did get cut up a bit.

You're right about the fins - I had a 30lb catfish take a crankbait I was trolling for largemouth and before it was over he had sliced one of my fins halfway through.

Although I was going to buy another to replace it, I patched it with "Goop," smoothed it out and it seems to work just fine. Been going for a year with it now.

Tom - I'm not clear on this. Are you saying that the line (with the tension from the fish) cut through your mirage fin? And so the solution to this is...you should really flatten your fins whenever you hook up to a fish?

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Taut fishing line, particularly in the smaller sizes, or braid, will cut like a knife. The back side of the Mirage Drive fins is no match when a fish pulls a taut line against it.

Feathering the fins doesn't necessarily stop if from happening, but having the fins up and out of the water more tends to cut down on it happening. With the fins straight down, and the fish near the surface, any quick burst right under the boat can cause this to happen. Not to mention that having the fins down simply makes it easier for the fish to foul the line on the drive unit.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Taut fishing line, particularly in the smaller sizes, or braid, will cut like a knife. The back side of the Mirage Drive fins is no match when a fish pulls a taut line against it.

There a few very good fly fishers on the West Coast to the Islands who have tried to use the braided lines for backing on their fly reels.

They are lucky if only the tips of their fly rods got broken. A few now have 8, 9 or 9.5 fingers where they got a finger or two caught in the braid with a big fish.